Renting a car can be a nice thing to do on your vacation, a way to treat yourself on a long weekend, or a necessity for work. In any cast, saving money on car rentals is always nice, too! Here are 5 things you need to do to save money the next time you have to rent a car:

1. Call around. The car rental industry is a price-driven industry and unless you're traveling to a place that has a shortage of cars because of a special event, you will usually be able to find a low-cost provider as well as two or three other major companies willing to beat the low-cost provider's price. Spending ten minutes on the phone up-front could save you a lot of money on your rental.

2. Check with your insurance company or your credit card company to make sure that you are covered for the rental car. Be sure to clarify that you are using it for a retail-style rental since some companies automatically cover you if it is for replacement purposes while your car is in the shop. Check to see what sizes of cars they do and do not cover (some will not covered trucks or SUVs) and if there are other limitations such as distance you are allowed to travel from your home or length of the rental.

3. If you want to drive a nice car, book a car that is a couple car-classes lower. Most car-rental agents are on some kind of bonus system based on their ability to "up-sell" customers into a nicer car and often the cheaper price plus a few dollars upgrade is still cheaper than actually paying for the actual size you want. And you'll make their day when you ask, "can you give me a good deal if I wanted to drive something a little nicer?" Be prepared to drive a smaller car, though, in case they don't have a larger one for you.

4. Many car-rental companies offer unlimited mileage and local mileage packages. Make sure you get the package that is appropriate for you. If you are simply driving around town, you do not need to pay extra money for unlimited mileage when you won't need it.

5. Replenish the fuel! Car-rental companies charge high prices to replace the fuel you used because of the time and people-power it takes to do so. If you do it yourself you stand to save nearly half of your gas bill.

These five tips will help you save money on your next car rental. Happy (and cheap) travels!

Jeff Lakie is the founder of Car Rental Information a website providing information on Car Rentals